Repost: Earth Day Threats

The Three Biggest Threats to Public Lands and Waters in Congress this Earth Day

While the first Earth Day 45 years ago united Democrats and Republicans in Congress around common values of protecting our environment, a lot has changed since then.

Backed by more than $720 million from coal, oil, and gas companies, today’s Republican-controlled Congress is advancing an aggressive anti-environmental agenda that puts our air, land, water and wildlife at risk. In fact, in the first 100 days of 2015, this Congress voted more on fossil fuel and anti-environmental priorities than on any other legislative area, with no results to show. The U.S. Senate cast more votes to remove protections for natural resources, block action to address climate change, and sell-off public lands than to address defense, immigration, and veterans’ issues combined.

The President, on the other hand, continues to take action to address climate change and to protect America’s land, water and wildlife. At Florida’s Everglades National Park today, the President highlighted the critical role of America’s natural resources and announced new steps “to protect the people and places climate change puts at risk.” And outside of politics, there are some really meaningful things happening this Earth Day as well.

BOTTOM LINE: With more than $720 million from coal, oil and gas companies, this Congress is trying to stop the creation of new national parks, give away public lands and waters to special interests, and block action to address climate change. But with no results to show, the 114th Congress needs to shift course and pursue an agenda that echoes Earth Day’s bipartisan beginnings and the values of sustaining our environment for future generations. (CAP-4/21/15)